1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to packages, and particularly to packages for medical instruments.
2. Background of the Art
Various types of packages for medical instruments are known in the art. Typically, such packages, after being hermetically sealed, are impervious to penetration by microbes. Some types of packages have a side fabricated from a sheet of porous, microbe impervious material. Such material allows the package to be sterilized by, for example, steam, ethylene oxide, or radiation, after the medical instrument has been hermetically sealed therein.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,929 to Foster discloses a package for an elongated surgical instrument having a handle portion, an elongated portion, and a distal end. The package includes channels for receiving the instrument. Flanges retain the instrument in the channels.
Certain instruments, for example those used in minimally invasive surgery (e.g., laparoscopy, endoscopy, arthroscopy) have elongated distal portions for insertion through a trocar cannula. Some instruments have a flexible distal portion which advantageously permits the distal portion to be curved into an arcuate shape, thereby allowing the instrument to be packaged with greater efficiency and flexibility in the use of storage space. For example, electrosurgical instruments can include a conductive metal wire and sleeve as the distal portion. However, such wires are typically very resilient and biased to a straight configuration. If the instrument is abruptly removed from a package, the distal portion can uncontrollably whip around and contact non-sterile surfaces or possibly operating room personnel.